Abstract: A component sorting apparatus (110), (210) having a shuttle carrier (142), (278) on which are provided a pair of shuttle rails (116), (118) and (216), (218) spaced from one another in fixed relation a distance determined by the spacing between any two contiguous paths (122), (222) of an output tray (120), (220) associated with the shuttle carriage. By this arrangement, each of the rails of the shuttle (114), (214) need travel only one half of the width of the associated output tray; a distance corresponding to roughly one half of the number of outputs, depending on whether there are even or odd number of same. It is proposed to employ either a slide-crank mechanism (164), (166), (170) or a capstan/encoder drive system (306) for reciprocating the dual shuttle (114), (214), largely depending on the number of output paths provided in the apparatus.

Abstract: A DIP-handling apparatus comprising a support chassis, an input tray attached to the support chassis and including a plurality of DIP-receiving input trays arrayed in parallel, a reorienting and metering device for receiving a DIP from one of the tracks of the input tray, for reorienting the received DIP and for discharging the DIP onto a track leading to a test head station, an output tray attached to the support chassis, and a shuttle device for transporting the DIP from the test station to a particular track of the output tray as determined by the result of the tests performed at the test station.